I would like to preface these comments by saying this is the first time that I have ever put up a negative response to staying anywhere...and truth be told, I am quite a fussy traveller who expects to get what they pay for. In addition, I have had over 20 years experience in Hotel Management so I consider that I have a sound knowledge of what are acceptable expectations.

My partner and I wanted to spend some quiet time in relative warmth to recharge our batteries after a year of illness, stress and hardwork. We chose Cairns as it was somewhere we hadn't visited and decided to choose an apartment style accommodation for the week and look around the area at our leisure. We did alot of research about locations, properties etc and eventually selected this Best Western Apartment to contact directly about our requuirements.

In several emails and a phone call directly to the property, very clearly indicating that we wanted a quiet room on the top floor as far away from noise as possible, you can imagine our surprise when we arrived for the week to find the new wing of the Cairns Hospital being constructed less than 3 metres from the entrance to the property. We queried this on arrival and were told that we were at the "other end of the property"- so that put us some 30 metres away from the construction - and that there had been no complaints about the noise. Having paid for the week, we checked in and went to the room, and sure enough from the lounge area the construction noise did not appear to be a problem so we decided to stay.

The beds in the apartment were configured as 2 singles, so I called reception and asked if they could be changed to the king-bed configuration. They commented that the beds were supposed to be made up as one, so they would see to it. We duly went out walking to give them a chance to change the room, then returned to unpack around 5pm. There was no noticable noise in the bedroom at that time.

Our sleep the first night wasn't too bad although neither of us could acclimatise to the noisy air conditioning unit which we needed on as the temperature overnight was over 20 and we had come from NZ where it was 6-7 degrees! However, at 7am the following morning we were woken to the horrendous noise of hammer drilling! Various other construction noises including banging on pipes resounded through the complex and how anyone couldn't "hear" this was beyond belief. We double checked that the bedroom window was closed because the noise sounded like it was happening immediately outside our room.

We got up and went into the lounge and sure enough the noise wasn't as bad in there - our summation of this was that the internal walls were probably concrete like the exterior. However, you couldn't sleep in the lounge because the air conditioning was so noisy and if you didn't use that, you had to have the doors open to the balcony and then the traffic noise from commuters would keep you from sleep.

I went to discuss the position with Reception and was again told that no-one else had complained. The woman I spoke to - who turned out to be Jana, the owner/manager - gave the impression that she couldn't care less. She said that if anyone wanted only 1 nights accommodation, they were put right next door to the construction and anyone staying longer was moved further along the property. I kept asking the question - "why did anyone not mention in any of my correspondence with the property requesting a quiet room, that there was a multi-level commercial construction happening right next door?" All I got was a shrug - quite literally! I fully understand that this construction is not ideal from the business's point of view, however, I had specifically made a request and I feel that ethically they should have mentioned it. On the arrival letter, there was a one sentence apology for any inconvenience caused due to the construction, but that was that - not even any mention that building work was from 7am-5pm, six days a week!. As a former Hotel General Manager, I know I would have felt bound to any guest making the same request to have mentioned what was going on at the time. I would also probably have said that there hadn't been any complaints - if there hadn't - and then at least the customer could have made an informed decision. Had we been told that, I would only have confirmed accommodation at this property as a last resort.

We could have checked out after one night, but we would not have been given a refund for the other six nights and having spent AUD875 for the week, we could not afford to lose that money. So there ensued a holiday with very little sleep, no "lie-ins" and no lounging around the complex/pool area due to the noise. In fact, we saw no-one at all in the pool while we were there and only one man sitting outside reading a newspaper in the whole week. We took avideo of thecomplexincluding thenoise, but I'm not going to upload it - if anyone needsconfirmtion, they can ask.

So be warned, the construction is likely to go until around the end of 2011, so if you're looking for a quiet retreat, don't stay at Best Western Central Plaza Apartments.

Jana Lambert was absolutely not a convivial host, however there was an employee in Reception on our arrival/departure who was very pleasant. The apartments are spacious, but not fastidiously clean. There is a charge if you leave dishes in the sink but the dishes in the cupboard were not properly washed so these clearly weren't checked by housekeeping. There is no daily service during your stay so if you want extra supplies of bathroom supplies, you have to go and ask. Daily service is notexpected, however I would have thought in that case, the apartment would have been left with reasonable supplies for a one week stay.

We stayed for over a week in 2 bedroom self contained apartment. Very spacious, very clean, good pool area, very friendly and helpful staff, couldn't have asked for better! Pleasant walk along waterfront to city centre (20 min) or cheap cab ride! Would definitely recommend and will stay there again if we are ever up that way again.

Stayed at the Best Western for 3 nights at $112 USD per night. The apartments are clean and very spacious; and the furniture is more modern than some of the other apartment photos I've seen around in Cairns. It comes with all the basic amenities for the bathroom and kitchen, including a washer and dryer, and a flat screen TV. A convenience store is a block down the street and the Central Shopping center is a mile away. Yes, there is no elevator, but the staircase flights are short. The staff is very kind and helpful. Denise helped me book a Barrier Reef excursion for the following day. If you wanted your room serviced, however, it would cost you $25 for 1 bedroom and $35 for 2 bedroom. Reception hours are limited if you need to request any services.
One drawback of this place was the construction noise next door. They currently work everyday except Sunday. It didn't really bother me too much since I was usually out during the daytime. Despite that, I enjoyed my stay at the Best Western.

I recently stayed at this hotel for work purposes. The hotel is directly opposite the Cairns Hospital and is a short drive into town (5 minutes).

The apartments are great value for money. The apartment I stayed in seemed to be recently renovated with a comfortable lounge area, fully equipped kitchen and a queen sized bedroom.

The hotel has a small swimming pool which has bbq facilities. The pool area is well kept and never crowded.

The staff are very friendly and have offered excellent advice for restaurants and local attractions.

If you're looking for reasonably priced apartment style accomomdation in Cairns I would recommend this hotel.